Chainkeen Exchange-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Breakup Song

There are Chainkeen Exchangespoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Breakup Song

Constructor: Joe Rodini

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• EAT (24A: Have an alfajor) An alfajor is a sweet treat found in the cuisines of many Latin American countries. Alfajores are sandwich cookies. Although many variations exist, a popular one consists of two shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche (caramelized milk). Alfajores are also found in Spanish cuisine. The Spanish version of alfajores are cylindrical pastries containing honey, almonds, and spices.
• IAN (40D: Activist ___ Manuel) IAN Manuel's 2021 memoir is titled My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption. When IAN Manuel was 14-years-old, he was sentenced to life in prison for a non-homicide crime, and placed in solitary confinement where he spent the next 18 years. He was released from prison in 2016 as a result of work by the Equal Justice Initiative. He is an advocate for criminal justice reform and a poet.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• POLKA (1A: "The Hamilton ___" (Weird Al medley)) Knowing that one of the things Weird Al Yankovic is known for is his POLKA medleys helped me out here. "The Hamilton POLKA," is a mashup of lyrics from the musical Hamilton – set to POLKA music, of course.
• STEW (10A: Galinhada or gumbo) Galinhada is a STEW in Brazilian cuisine that consists of rice and chicken. Gumbo is a STEW that originated in Louisiana made of meat or shellfish along with celery, bell peppers, and onions.
• ARIEL (14A: Mermaid who rescues Prince Eric) ARIEL is the title character of the Little Mermaid franchise. When I encounter clues such as this, I have to pause for just a moment to remind myself that ARIEL the mermaid is spelled with an E, as opposed to ARIAL the font.
• URSA MINOR (18A: Polaris' constellation) The constellation URSA Minor is also known as the Little Dipper. It consists of seven stars, the brightest of which is the north pole star, Polaris. In Latin, URSA Minor means "Little Bear."
• ATLAS (42A: Titan in Greek myths) In Greek mythology, the Titans were gods and goddesses, who preceded the Olympian gods. ATLAS was a Titan who was condemned by Zeus (the king of the Olympian gods) to stand on the edge of the earth and hold up the sky for eternity.
• TAU (52A: Letter after sigma) Time for some Greek alphabet review. (I like to review the Greek and NATO alphabets when they appear in crosswords to keep this information semi-fresh in my mind.) TAU is the nineteenth of the Greek alphabet's 24 letters. I'm choosing today to review the letters preceding and following TAU: ...pi, rho, sigma, TAU, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega.
• SOLO PARENTING (54A: Raising a child single-handedly) It was a nice choice to include the word "single-handedly" in the clue, to keep solvers from trying "single PARENTING" here. I admit that it didn't keep me from trying it, but hopefully you fared better!
• TIBIA (64A: Bone below the femur) The femur is the thigh bone, or the upper leg bone. Below the femur is found the patella (kneecap), the TIBIA and fibula (the lower leg bones) and the bones of the ankle and foot.
• ALFA (64A: Letter before Bravo in the NATO phonetic alphabet) A bonus today: this puzzle is encouraging me to review the Greek alphabet and the NATO phonetic alphabet. The NATO alphabet starts out with ALFA, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot.
• KETTLE (4D: "Pot, meet ___") Ha! This clue made me laugh. "Pot, meet KETTLE," is a reference to the phrase, "pot calling the KETTLE black."
• ALOHA (5D: Greeting in Maui)  Maui is Hawaii's second largest ISLAND (after Hawai'i). ALOHA is used as a greeting throughout Hawaii.
• SKIN (10D: Organ treated with exfoliants) The SKIN, with its multiple layers covering the entire body, is the largest organ in humans. Exfoliants are agents used to remove dead SKIN cells.
• TARGET (26D: Store with a mascot named Bullseye) The  official mascot of TARGET is a white bull terrier named Bullseye, who made his debut in 1999. TARGET's red bullseye logo is painted around the dog's left eye when it is working as the mascot. The vegetable-based paint (approved by the Humane Society) is applied by a professional makeup artist.
• WASABI (27D: Spicy green paste) WASABI, also known as Japanese horseradish, is a spicy green condiment often served alongside sushi.
• I VOTED (28D: Words on a polling place sticker) This clue is a good opportunity to remind you that if you're eligible to do so, make sure you are registered to vote. And then make a plan to vote, not just in the upcoming U.S. November 5 election, but also in the local and state elections in your area.

• IDAHO (32D: Shoshone Falls' state) Shoshone Falls is a waterfall located in south-central IDAHO, on the Snake River. Referred to as the "Niagara of the West," Shoshone Falls is located just a few miles northeast of the city of Twin Falls. Since the beginning of the 20th century when part of the Snake River was diverted for irrigation purposes, the appearance of the falls varies significantly based on the river's flow state.
• OAR (34D: Tool found in "paddleboard") I appreciate when the hidden word and the hiding word are related, as is the case here.
• SPARE (51D: /, to a bowler) In bowling, a SPARE refers to the knocking down of all of the pins on the second ball of the frame. On the scoring sheet, this is indicated by a slash. If all the pins are knocked down on the first ball of the frame, it's a strike, indicated by an X.
• RENT (57D: "Another Day" musical) Just over a week ago, we saw a reference to the RENT song, "Out Tonight," which is sung by the character Mimi as she attempts to seduce Roger. "Another Day" is Roger's response.
• IBIS (58D: Sacred Egyptian bird) IBIS is making back-to-back crossword appearances, as we saw it in yesterday's puzzle clued as [Bird that forages in mud]. One species of IBIS, the African sacred IBIS, is known for its role in Ancient Egyptian religion. The Egyptian god, Thoth, was depicted as having the head of an IBIS.
• NINE (59D: Number of rooms in Clue) I always appreciate a reference to my favorite board game of all time. The NINE rooms in the Clue mansion are the kitchen, ballroom, conservatory, billiard room, library, study, hall, lounge, and dining room.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• SOUTHERN TWANG (20A: Feature of many country singers' voices)
• SOCIAL GATHERING (39A: Get-together)
• SOLO PARENTING (54A: Raising a child single-handedly)

BREAKUP SONG: Each theme answer BREAKs UP the word SONG: SOUTHERN TWANG, SOCIAL GATHERING, and SOLO PARENTING.

The title of today's puzzle perfectly describes the theme, such that I knew exactly what to expect. Each theme answer BREAKs the word SONG exactly in half: SO/NG. Thank you, Joe, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers